The smattering of boos that accompanied Dos Santos, whose face was badly swollen, at the weigh-in for the event were surprisingly present during his time at the post-fight mic.

“His game is very effective, and tonight, he was better than me,” he said. “Cain Velasquez, like you said, I’m going to come back, and I’m going to take my belt again.”

It was Velasquez who got ahold of his waist early in the first, but Dos Santos quickly scrambled and reversed, and another takedown attempt was telegraphed and easily shrugged off.

Dos Santos, meanwhile, sniped with jabs as Dos Santos pressed. The Brazilian caught a right hand, but snuck in a left, and shrugged off a takedown.

Velasquez began to find his range with punches, but his takedowns continued to fail.

Midway through the round, however, Dos Santos exhaled deeply, and Velasquez began to smother Dos Santos against the fence. First briefly, and then for an extended spell.

Dos Santos didn’t a right hand coming, and in a flash, he was in survival mode as Velasquez began to maul him. The round expired with the former champ at the Brazilian’s back, firing away punches.

Dos Santos barely survived the round.

Velasquez resumed his assault in the second, walking through big counters to dump Dos Santos to the mat. The sequence would replay itself twice before Dos Santos got a brief respite.

But it was brief. It didn’t take long before Velasquez was at his back once again. Even when Dos Santos escaped and managed to evade an armbar and gain top position, he could do little as Velasquez reversed and put him against the cage.

The end of the second saw Dos Santos mope again back to his corner.

Dos Santos found his uppercut early in the third, but the strength on his punches had evaporated. Velasquez pressed them to the cage, but this time, he wasn’t nearly as hard on the champ as before.

Indeed, the relentless pace Velasquez pushed took a toll on his attack. But he continued to press forward through counters and imposed his will against the cage.

Breaking away, Dos Santos found an uppercut and stiff body shot at the end of the third frame.

Championship rounds would truly crown the champ.

Dos Santos found his range early in the fourth, and appeared to find a second wind as he shrugged off a takedown attempt and landed shots in close. When Velasquez finally landed a solid attempt, he righted himself again and survived more punches.

Velasquez, meanwhile, continued to press and smother against the cage.

In the fifth and final round, Dos Santos continued to find counters as Velasquez advanced. He was warned by referee Herb Dean for grabbing the fence. And when Velasquez took him across the cage on a takedown attempt, he held.

A massive contusion marked the champ’s left brow.

Midway through the round, Velasquez finally nabbed a takedown and managed to hold half-guard. Elbows and punches came from top position, prompting Dos Santos to turn and escape.

Velasquez, however, would never go away. He slammed a head kick into Dos Santos’ dome before time ran out.

Velasquez (11-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) now sports the belt and back-to-back wins since the setback to Dos Santos, which was the first of his pro career. Dos Santos (15-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC), meanwhile, suffers his first loss in the octagon.

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